The internet has transformed hundreds of industries, giving consumers access to a far greater range of goods than ever before.

But this newfound flexibility has a dark side too, as a new investigation into the sale of guns online has found.

While buying a gun in a store requires extensive background checks designed to block convicted criminals and the mentally ill from getting their hands on deadly weapons, the are no such checks for online buyers.

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According to the investigation by NBC, this means that people can acquire guns ranging from police pistols to the most powerful rifles without any vetting at all - and the whole process is completely legal.

An attempt to crack down on the easy availability of online firearms has fallen victim to the country's political paralysis, as a proposed bill to regulate the practice has been held up for nearly a year.

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In one staggering transaction, undercover security experts bought a gun which could bring down a helicopter from a dealer in a parking lot after dark in Phoenix, Arizona.

When the team from Rossen Reports confronted the man selling a .50 calibre sniper rifle and pointed out that he could be handing weapons over to 'dangerous felons', he replied: 'I never thought about it, to be honest.'

No questions asked: This transaction took place without any background checks

In several cases, the supposed buyer explicitly told the seller that he would be unlikely to pass a background check if buying a gun through more traditional channels.

But the sellers just laughed and did not appear to reconsider the transactions; one, who was accompanied by his seven-year-old son, simply said: 'I hate the government.'

When the buyer was taking possession of a Glock 23 with hollow-point bullets, which are specifically designed to inflict maximum damage on the target, the seller said, 'I shouldn't be selling it to you' - but did anyway.

When the NBC crew asked him why he sold such a deadly weapon to a man who had practically confessed to being a criminal, he said he could not afford to be picky about his customers.

Loophole: Guns from pistols to sniper rifles are easily available on the internet